Karachi HIV Screening Finds 120 Positive Near Valika Hospital

Karachi’s public health authorities are facing renewed pressure after screening near the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution-run Valika Hospital found 120 HIV-positive cases among residents living around the facility. The disclosure was made after an investigation into an outbreak linked to the SITE-area hospital, where officials had earlier confirmed infections among children.

Sindh Labour Minister Saeed Ghani said more than 10,500 people had been screened in communities around Valika Hospital since October 2025, when the health department’s communicable disease teams began tracing possible infections. A separate drive at another SESSI-run hospital in Landhi tested around 2,000 people, with 10 additional HIV-positive cases identified there.

Officials said the inquiry connected 78 HIV-positive children to the Valika Hospital outbreak and confirmed six deaths. The minister stressed that the number of affected people could rise as screening continues, but said authorities would not stop the campaign out of fear that more cases may be detected. All identified patients, according to the provincial government, are being treated at public expense.

Speaking alongside senior medical experts, Ghani said the government had accepted responsibility for supporting affected families and would pursue disciplinary and legal action where negligence is established. He said patients’ privacy would be protected under the Sindh HIV Control Act, warning that public naming or sensational handling of cases could deepen stigma and harm families already dealing with a serious diagnosis.

The provincial government has announced a standing committee of leading medical specialists to supervise treatment planning and long-term welfare arrangements for infected children. Children under care are receiving treatment at major institutions including Indus Hospital, Aga Khan University Hospital and Dow University of Health Sciences, while a Rs2 billion endowment fund has been set aside for their continuing medical needs.

The Valika Hospital case has revived painful memories of earlier HIV outbreaks in Sindh, particularly the Ratodero crisis, where unsafe medical practices and weak infection-control systems were blamed for widespread transmission among children. Public health experts have repeatedly warned that reuse of syringes, poor waste disposal and unregulated clinics can turn preventable infections into community-level emergencies.

Medical experts present at the briefing indicated that the challenge may not be limited to one hospital or one neighbourhood. They pointed to infection-control weaknesses at some private clinics and the broader burden of HIV and hepatitis in Pakistan, saying health authorities must ensure the use of sterile syringes and safer medical practices across both public and private healthcare settings.

The impact of the latest findings is significant for Pakistan’s health system because it highlights the cost of weak oversight, delayed detection and stigma around infectious disease. For Karachi, the country’s largest city, the outbreak raises questions about hospital supervision, local clinic practices and the ability of public institutions to conduct transparent investigations while protecting patient confidentiality.

The next phase will depend on how quickly authorities complete screening, trace possible sources of transmission and take action against those responsible for unsafe medical practices. Health officials are expected to continue treatment, expand monitoring and strengthen infection-control checks, while affected families will be looking for long-term support rather than short-lived assurances.